West Indies ended the opening day of the Sylhet Test in a strong position, reaching 235-4 after 70 overs despite an early batting collapse. The tourists were reduced to 27-3 before Alick Athanaze orchestrated a resilient recovery with an unbeaten 111.
The day’s play was curtailed by poor light, resulting in nearly an hour of play lost. Action was halted at 3:15 PM and, following a brief restart, officials ultimately called an end to the day’s proceedings after failing to regain suitable conditions for play.
West Indies captain Roston Chase won the toss and elected to bat. The start was shaky for the visitors; Taskin Ahmed struck in the fifth over to remove Kraigg Brathwaite, whose flick attempt resulted in the ball crashing into the stumps. Shortly after, Hasan Mahmud bowled Keacy Carty, who misjudged a delivery that skidded off the surface to hit the middle stump. Taskin then claimed his second wicket, trapping Joshua Da Silva lbw in the ninth over to deepen the crisis.
A crucial fourth-wicket partnership between Athanaze and Kavem Hodge steadied the innings. The duo reached lunch at 86-3, frustrating the Bangladeshi bowlers during the middle session. They extended their stand to 127 runs before Hasan Mahmud dismissed Hodge for 61, ending a 145-ball innings.
After reaching 180-4 by the tea break, Athanaze accelerated his scoring. He reached his second Test century in dramatic fashion by hitting a six over extra cover off Taijul Islam, needing 149 balls to reach the milestone. He remains at the crease alongside Justin Greaves, who is unbeaten on 26.
For Bangladesh, both Hasan Mahmud and Taskin Ahmed ended the day with two wickets apiece. Despite the early breakthroughs, the hosts struggled to contain the Athanaze-led middle order during the final session, where West Indies added 55 runs without losing a wicket.
The hosts had a chance to dismiss the openers earlier when Hasan Mahmud induced a catch to slip on his first over, but Shadman Islam failed to hold onto the opportunity. Despite that missed chance, the tourists managed to recover from their shaky start to take control of the first day’s play.
